THE Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is launching five new Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects this month.
In a Press release, CXC said the new CAPE subjects were Agricultural Science, Entrepreneurship, Performing Arts, Physical Education and Sport and Tourism. They will be taught from September, with the first examination next year.
The first launch will take place on Friday at the Accra Beach Resort under a tourism theme; Guyana will host the launch with the Agricultural Science theme on May 12; Trinidad and Tobago will host the Entrepreneurship event on May 15; St Lucia will focus on the Performing Arts on May 16 and Jamaica will host the Physical Education and Sport theme on May 20.
CXC is partnering with various stakeholders to host the different events. These include the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO); the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce; the Cultural Development Foundation of St Lucia; the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute and various tertiary institutions in Jamaica.
CTO Secretary General Hugh Riley said the launch was especially important to tourism as it would make frontline workers more knowledgeable in the field.
“This step is a giant leap toward providing our youth with the knowledge, the confidence and insights needed to change the quality of the experience we sell. Thousands of tourism frontline workers who are in positions to make or break this industry will now have an opportunity to get a tertiary education. For them, a CXC certificate, or just the knowledge gained while studying for that certificate, could be an absolute game-changer,” he said. (CA)
